PlayStation 3 Theme (P3T)

Classic theme

default theme

Description

Themes can be created by Sony's official PlayStation 3 theme creator software or by theme compilers from third-party developers.

System software version 1.90 allows users to change the background of the XMB to display any image saved on the console's hard disk drive.

Firmware 2.00 added the ability to select the background color of the XMB (from the same choice as the PSP), and the brightness of the color. The same update also added extra font choices, and the ability to use custom themes that change the icons, wallpaper, color, font, and, in some cases, the click sound effects.

With the release of firmware 3.00, a 'sparkle' effect has been added to the default theme and night time black theme has the current month color as a basis, instead of white.

A Dynamic Themes feature was added in software version 3.00 which allows the user to use animated themes. These themes may feature animated backgrounds which change throughout the day or respond to user input

• FW 2.00:
  • Ability to modify the PlayStation 3 XMB Home Menu icons or background design by using a theme compiler
  • [Colour], [Background] and [Font] have been added as options under [Theme Settings].
  • Ability to select [Brightness] as an option under [Theme Settings] > [Background].

• FW 3.00:
  • Support for new Dynamic Custom Themes.
  • The default theme has been changed to an updated version of the 'Original' waves theme (the original theme has been renamed 'Classic').
  • XMB icons now change colour along with the theme depending on the time of day.

• Installation
  • From USB (and CF/SD/MS memorycards): /PS3/THEME/*.p3t
  • From disc (or fake disc): Infos on Creating Discs
  • From PS3 INTERNET browser & SEN STORE
  • From FW
  • From Games
  • From PKG (with EDATA)
  • Manually by copying the *.p3t inside the /dev_hdd0/theme folder

Theme Contents

Theme Scene (.XML)

Code Sample

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Variations

• Reduced infotable

This is the minimal tested by me --Sandungas 14:05, 11 February 2013 (MSK) if you find some item of this table is not needed please delete the line

Code Sample

• Localized info

This texts replaces the contents in the <info> with a translation for different languages, the "letter codes" used for languages are listed in this table: Content_Information_Files#Languages

Localized info texts are only displayed when the XMB is configured in the same language than the "letter code"

If the theme doesnt contains <localizedinfo> the default texts from <info> are used , so <localizedinfo> is not mandatory, and sometimes is not needed (e.g: the name of the theme doesnt need to be translated in most cases)

Code Sample

XMB Icons (.PNG)

File	Image type	Notes
All the other XMB icons	128x128, 32-bit .PNG
icon_photo_default	170x128, 32-bit .PNG
icon_photo_album_default	170x128, 32-bit .PNG
icon_video_default	228x128, 32-bit .PNG
icon_video_album_default	228x128, 32-bit .PNG

• Default icons

icon_default_v and icon_default_v are used when the theme don t have newest icons needed by XMB (or not build with). E.g. when installing a theme made in 2008 in a firmware released in 2013

• Missing icons in newer firmwares ?... like PSvita ?

• Missing icons in the example ? (but supported by the compilers)

Navigation Sounds (.VAG)

Sound effects as PlayStation Compressed Sound File.

-Total sound data under 256 KB.

• Stereo Sounds (same sound used in left and right channels)

Code Sample

• Stereo Sounds (separated sounds for left and right channels)

Code Sample

Background (.JPG .RAF)

• The background image (in themes without a .raf background)

-Max size of an image (JPEG normal format): 2MB.
-One theme file can contain at most 24 background images.

Static and slideshow Themes (JPG)

Im not sure how many different methods can be used with .JPG backgrounds (some are explained in the readme_e.txt inside the sample that comes with p3tcompiler), maybe is a good idea to create a section for each method with an small example in XML of the <bgimagetable> used. The names of this sections needs to be intuitive (the official "static" and "dynamic" simplification is confusing) --Sandungas 09:36, 12 February 2013 (MSK)

You can have different background for SD (640x480) or HD (1920x1080) resolutions.

Can be compiled into RAF directly (.DDS can be used also).

• Animated background

• Method 1 (linked to specific days, in specific year). Time in YYYYMMDD Format

In the example the image is visible for a period of 1 year (from 31 december 2012, until 31 december 2013)

Code Sample

• Method 2 (linked to specific days, every year). Time in MMDD Format

In the example the image is visible only the last day of the year, in all years

Code Sample

• Method 3 (linked to date time, all days). Time in HH Format

In the example the image changes every hour, starting at 00:00 (day starts at 00:00 and ends at 23:00)

Code Sample

• Method 4

You can have more than one, each time you boot back to XMB, a new background will be display.

In that case it ll look like this:

(here it s 2 static JPEG background, SD or HD according to monitor resolution, 4 anim with different dynamic background)

Code Sample

Animated and 3D Themes (RAF)

RAF (rich appearance format) is considered an "image format", themes can contain a raf file that is used as the background of the theme. This same format is used for the coldboot.raf animation when PS3 boots.

It must comply with these restrictions :

-Textures size max: 15 mb
-Geometry & script size max: 1mb
-Actor size max: 1.20mb
-Actor number max: 128
-Cameras: 1
-Lights: 2 (ambient + point)
-Scripts: 1
-Models: 64 (with 8 animations each model)

• Object, skelleton, animation, lights

DAE (digital asset exchange) is an XML file that contains COLLADA content. COLLADA is an open standard created by sony for interactive 3D applications. Is used to export and import files from 3-D authoring applications (Maya, SoftImage, and 3ds max) in .dae format https://collada.org/

There is a collada plugin for [Blender] (link is at bottom of page). Both blender and the collada plugin are free and open source projects

• Script

.js (playstation javascript derivate, also known as PSJS)

• Textures

JPEG, DDS

XMB color schemes

The XMB's by default changes his color depending on the current month of the year and brightness depending on the time of day. The color can be configured to "default" (changes every month) or one of the 12 color preconfigured for months, in XMB Settings column ---> Theme settings ---> Color

This change of color affects waves, background, all the icons, and other images like the "side menu", the color is applyed to the originall images like a "color filter" layer over them (note originall icons are semitransparent white to improve this effect)

The background image changes acordingly with the month. The file lines.qrc contains 24 textures_month_bg_*.dds images of 64x32 pixels. Each day has 2 different images for "day" and "night". See QGL_modding

• Speculation

This color setting to apply as a "filter" needs to be stored somewhere :P and probably brightness is stored with it, this is the only code reference we will find to know the exact values used (but the method to apply brighness can be more complicated). At some point it was possible to change the font color in PSP firmwares (this is another "color filter" using the same technique) so is posible similar settings can be used in PS3... the candidate to contain all this easter eggs is lines.qrc, good hunting :) --Sandungas 07:38, 13 February 2013 (MSK)

Until somebody finds this values... the next tables are not accurate !

color values are only orientative !!!

Month	All	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
Color code	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
Day background (diagonal degrade)	Varies
Night background (vertical degrade)	Varies
Color filter		MonthTime
		???	???	???	???	???	???	???	???	???	???	???	???

brightness values are speculative !!!

Time	DayTime	NightTime	NightBrightness	NightDayBlend	Alpha
override_*_HDR.mnu ?	???	???	???	???	???
Etc...	???	???	???	???	???

---

from wikipedia, too speculative

Major color changes occur on the three days before the 15th and 24th of each month, while the color gradually changes between those dates.

Colors during the year (At noon, full brightness) color values are only orientative !!!

Date	Jan 15	Jan 24	Feb 15	Feb 24	Mar 15	Mar 24	Apr 15	Apr 24	May 15	May 24	Jun 15	Jun 24	Jul 15	Jul 24	Aug 15	Aug 24	Sep 15	Sep 24	Oct 15	Oct 24	Nov 15	Nov 24	Dec 15	Dec 24
Color

Brightness changes during the day (24 hour) color values are only orientative !!!

Time	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23
Value

Tutorials & Tools Links

official:

• Theme Settings manual:

http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/settings/themesettings.html

• How do I create my own theme for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system?

http://us.playstation.com/support/answer/index.htm?a_id=1205

• Playstation 3 custom theme guidelines v2.00 (official p3tcompiler.exe with a sample theme). This toolset doesnt contains the raf compilers !

http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/support/settings/detail/linked235336/item85346/Download-PlayStation-3-Custom-Theme-Guidelines/

Others:

• Resources&tools, tutorials (Slide Show etc..): http://www.ps3-themes.com/

• Homebrews :http://www.ps3devwiki.com/files/Visuals/Themes/

• MFW : PS3MFW_Builder

• Rich Apparence Maker http://r.a.m.games-hack.fr/index.php guide http://r.a.m.games-hack.fr/doc/Rich%20Appearance%20Maker%20-%20Quick%20Start%20Guide.pdf

• "Playstation 3 Theme Builder" and "Xross Media Simulator" http://www.lili-chan.com/

• Interesting info about Animations/3D support in themes http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php?t=28426

• See also: QGL page

• DDS tools
  • GIMP plug-in (not mandatory to use DDS for Slide Show Pro if picture compiled directly to RAF) http://code.google.com/p/gimp-dds/
  • NVIDIA DDS Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop https://developer.nvidia.com/nvidia-texture-tools-adobe-photoshop
  • NVIDIA DDS Plug-in for 3ds Max https://developer.nvidia.com/content/3ds-max-dds-plugin-1008271100
  • NVIDIA DDS Thumbnail Viewer for windows explorer https://developer.nvidia.com/sites/default/files/akamai/tools/files/DDS_viewer.exe
  • NVIDIA Legacy Texture Tools (includes a command line converter) https://developer.nvidia.com/sites/default/files/akamai/tools/files/DDS_Utilities_8.31.1127.1645.exe

• DAE tools
  • COLLADA plugin for Blender http://colladablender.illusoft.com/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/colladablender/

• Imageviewer with lot of supported formats http://www.irfanview.com/